Kentucky ­Fried Chicken was the brainchild of Harland Sanders, who opened his first restaurant during the Great Depression in a gas station in Corbin, Kentucky. In the 1930s, Sanders developed his secret recipe of 11 herbs and spices, which has been touted as one of the best-kept secrets in the world and to this day is locked in a vault in Louisville.

Colonel Sanders, as he was known, sold his empire for $2 million in 1964. Today, KFC is a $10.3 billion franchise with more than 11,000 restaurants in 80 countries. The company employs 750,000 people who serve more than a billion "finger lickin' good" chicken meals each year.